# missing stair

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/missing-stair
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A member of a community who is widely but privately known within that community for abusiveness or other harmful behavior that has not been addressed.

## Examples

- Everyone knows he is a missing stair in our office.
- She is a missing stair that everyone in the club simply steps around.
- We all avoid the manager because he is a missing stair, but nobody ever reports his behavior to human resources.
- The local theater group treats that director like a missing stair, quietly telling new actors to never stay in the rehearsal room alone with him.
- Instead of firing the dishonest accountant, the firm kept him as a missing stair and just warned other staff to double-check his math.
- The community tolerated him as a missing stair for years, silently warning newcomers about his conduct rather than confronting the underlying problem.

## Origin

Coined in 2012 by the blogger Cliff Pervocracy, the term relies on the analogy of a household staircase missing a single step. The residents of such a house, having grown accustomed to the structural defect, simply step over the gap and expect their guests to do the same rather than repairing the staircase itself.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.